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Patient Life Tour

Image Courtesy of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center

Length: 2 hours Untouched Buildings Accessed: 3

What was it like to live at the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane (now known as the Richardson Olmsted Campus)? Go behind-the-scenes and back in time to when the Richardson was home to thousands of people: patients, doctors, nurses, attendants, and staff.

The 145-year-old former state hospital facility consists of purpose-built structures and a healing landscape that created a therapeutic environment then considered the most progressive treatment available for mental illness.

This two-hour tour, led by a knowledgeable docent, provides access to multiple untouched spaces on-site, including some not available on other tours, and explores the lives of the men and women who lived and worked at the Richardson from its earliest days until the last patient moved out in the 1970s.

Pre-registration required.

Please Note: This is a historical tour of abandoned buildings yet to be redeveloped by the Richardson. This is not a tour of Hotel Henry. For information about seeing the hotel, stop by the Front Desk or call 716-882-1970.